Spring-tire



J.SV.EDDY. SPRING TIRE (N0 Model.

No. 556,498. Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

. 24% 11132;. fl V Attor y VV itneSSGS UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOHN STEVENS EDDY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MILTON SMITH, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

SPRING-TIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,498, dated March 17, 1896.

Application filed July 3, 1895. $erial No. 554,877. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN STEVENS EDDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steel Spring-Tires; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in steel spring-tires for bicycles, buggies and other vehicles, and belongs especially to that class of tires described in my patent, numbered 530,888, dated December 11, 1894. In the patent referred to I have shown and described a single series of flat, circular steel springs placed side by side and held together by two bars or straps, the whole having a rubber covering.

My present invention consists, substantially, of a double series of flat circular steel springs, an outer and an inner series, the outer series being united by two flat steel bars or strips, as in said patent, but the inner series held together and to the outer series by one only of the said flat steel bars that unite the outer series and by an independent or third flat steeI bar, the whole forming two solid elastic cylinders, one inclosed by the other and having a covering or outer tire, all as more fully hereinafter described and particularly claimed.

The objects of this improvement are to reinforce the outer spring-cylinder, to increase the resiliency of the tire,and to render it more durable.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the outer and one of the inner circular springrings, showing the same fastened to the bars; Fig. 2, a sectional View of tire; Fig. 3, a side View, and Fig. 4 a sectional view, of modification.

Referring to the drawings, a are the outer fiat circular steel springs made in the form of rings. These rings are preferably made so that their width gradually narrows as they approach the part intended to be placed nearest to the rim and hub of the wheel, are each formed from a single piece of steel, and are either lapped or brazed at the ends.

I) are fiat circular steel springs similar to rings a, but of less diameter than the latter, and are adapted to be encircled by the rings a.

c and cl are two flat bars, each made from a single piece of metal, one end of each of the said bars being provided with a shoulder e, so that the ends when brought together may be easily united and present a continuous smooth surface. The ends of these bars or strips 0 and (1 may be united in any suitable manner, a convenient method being by the employment of a screw f, as shown in the drawings.

The flat circular spring-rings a are placed edge to edge and in this manner a closed circular cylindrical figure is formed,each springring being separately riveted or otherwise secured to the bars 0 and cl. The inner series of spring-rings b are arranged in a similar manner and are fastened below to the bar d, by which means the outer and inner series of rings are united at one point, but above the inner series are united to an independent bar 9, which bar is similar in form and structure to bars 0 and d.

The word above is used to designate the part of the circular springs farthest from the rim and hub of the wheel, and the word below to designate the part of the circular spring nearest.

I sometimes prefer to make the inner springrings, 1), and the outer rings, a, of one piece of metal, as is illustrated in Fig. 4that is to say, of a single piece of steel the length of which is a little greater than the circumference of both rings. This is bent so as to form both the inner and outer rings, the ends being rigidly fastened to the fiat bar d in the same manner as when the two rings are made of separate pieces of metal.

L is a rubber covering surrounding vthe outer series of spring-rings and covering the whole.

It will be noticed by the construction of a tire as herein described a simple tire is provided, one that will constitute a perfect cylindrical spring having a rubber covering surrounding it. This tire may be easily applied to a bicycle or vehicle Wheel.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is 1. An elastic tire composed in combination of an outer and inner elastic cylinder, each of said cylinders composed of fiat metal spring-rings, means for connecting the cylinders at one point, and-means for uniting and holding said rings in close contact, substantially as described.

2. A tire for bicycles and other vehicles,consisting of an outer series of independent, flat, circular, metal spring-rings, arranged in contact, bars, a and (Z, uniting said rings, an inner series of independent, fiat, circular metal spring-rings, arranged in contact, said inner series fastened below to bar, (7, and above to JOI-IN STEVENS EDDY. W'itnesses N. WV. REMALDSHEFF, A. G. CRACRAFT. 

